Jennifer Spindel is an assistant professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire. Her research focuses on international security, foreign policy, alliances, and civil-military relations. She is particularly interested in questions about power and relationships. For example, how do actors differentiate between friends, allies, and closest friends, and how do they signal commitment to one another? Her research agenda on the arms trade tackles these issues by explaining how the arms trade is a form of signaling in international politics. She also use the arms trade to study diffuse forms of power and core-periphery and patron-client relationships. Her work on civil-military relations examines how perceptions and narratives about the military shape the willingness to use force and support different foreign policy options.
Jen also regularly contributes to policy discussions through media appearances with national and international outlets, and her engaged scholarship has appeared in Foreign Affairs, War on the Rocks, and Defense One, among others. For the 2024-2025 academic year, she is a non-resident fellow with the Institute for Future Conflict at the US Air Force Academy, where she is working on a project about the defense industrial base and the future of warfare.
She received her Ph.D. in political science from the University of Minnesota, and her BA in peace and conflict studies from Colgate University.
Courses Taught
- IA 501: Global Issues Intrntnl Affairs
- POLT 403: United States in World Affairs
- POLT 562: Strategy&Natl Security Policy
- POLT 568: International Security
- POLT 592: Selected Topics Intl Politics
- POLT 696: Independent Study
- POLT 700/800: Political Science Pro-Seminar
- POLT 796: Advanced Study
- POLT 797E/897E: Seminar/Technology & War
Research Interests
- Foreign Policy
- International Relations/Diplomacy
- International Security
- Military Tactics/Combat
- Nuclear Warfare
Selected Publications
Spindel, J., Carter, K., & McClary, M. (2024). How Ukraine Can Do More With Less: A Military Strategy to Outlast Russia. Foreign Affairs. Retrieved from https://www.foreignaffairs.com/ukraine/how-ukraine-can-do-more-less
Spindel, J. (2024). Qualitative Social Network Analysis. In J. Cyr, & S. Wallace Goodman (Eds.), Doing Good Qualitative Research. Oxford University Press, USA. Retrieved from https://global.oup.com/
Spindel, J. (2023). CHAPTER 16. TRUMP’S TRANSACTIONAL FOLLIES. In Chaos Reconsidered (pp. 168-180). Columbia University Press. doi:10.7312/ali-20448-018
Spindel, J. (2023). Arms for influence? The limits of Great Power leverage. European Journal of International Security, 8(3), 395-412. doi:10.1017/eis.2023.3
Kuo, R. C., & Spindel, J. (2022). The Unintended Consequences of Arms Embargoes. Foreign Policy Analysis, 19(1). doi:10.1093/fpa/orac030
Ralston, R., & Spindel, J. (2022). Public Attitudes Toward Diversity, Promotion, and Leadership in the US Military. ARMED FORCES & SOCIETY. doi:10.1177/0095327X221117609
Spindel, J. F., Spindel, J., Gordon, K., & Koch, J. (2022). The Effects of The COVID-19 Pandemic on Primary Prevention. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL SCIENCES, 363(2), 204-205. Retrieved from https://www.webofscience.com/
Motta, M., Ralston, R., & Spindel, J. (2021). A Call to Arms for Climate Change? How Military Service Member Concern About Climate Change Can Inform Effective Climate Communication. ENVIRONMENTAL COMMUNICATION-A JOURNAL OF NATURE AND CULTURE, 15(1), 85-98. doi:10.1080/17524032.2020.1799836
Spindel, J., & Ralston, R. (2019). Taking Social Cohesion to Task: Perceptions of Transgender Military Inclusion and Concepts of Cohesion. Journal of Global Security Studies. doi:10.1093/jogss/ogz045
Krebs, R. R., & Spindel, J. (2018). Divided Priorities: Why and When Allies Differ Over Military Intervention. SECURITY STUDIES, 27(4), 575-606. doi:10.1080/09636412.2018.1483609
